Involvement is directly related to college student success. Student Success is a priority for colleges and universities because it helps to retain students. Retention that leads to higher graduation rates is a mission that institutions of higher learning hold closely. Retention is important because when students withdraw from an institution prior to graduation, they lose the time and financial investments they made into their education without gaining the benefits of the degree that student was pursuing. Institutions also have a close relationship with retention and graduation because when students withdraw from their institutions, they must cover the loss of revenue that the student invested into their campus resources. Involvement is related to whether or not a student will stay at an institution. It was stated by Vincent Tinto that students often leave because they have not made significant connections or feel a part of the community in the institution. The following will explore what is defined by involvement and student success, and the analysis of West Chester University of Pennsylvania’s practices that lead to increased student success. (Krumrei-Mancuso)
Keywords: Leadership, Retention, Student Engagement,
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For the case of this essay, student involvement will be defined based off Alexander W. Astin’s Developmental Theory of Higher Education. Astin defined student involvement as “the quantity and quality of the physical and psychological energy that students invest in the college experience” (Astin, 1999). Being involved in educational activities in and outside of the classroom is a significant indicator for student success. This is due to the fact that when a student holds a leadership position, that individual is aware that their peers rely on them for service, guidance, and follow-through. These students also are more likely to feel connected to an organization and the institution. (Harper & Quaye,
While overall college enrollment and graduation rates have risen for all minority groups, there continues to be concerns for this segment of the population, particularly for African American students. Even though there have been significant increases in enrollment and graduation figures over the past several decades, issues concerning retention persist. About 30 percent of African Americans who enroll in college drop out prior to degree completion (Rye, 2009). This is further documented by Museus (2011) who reports that less than one-half of minority students who begin college at a 4-year institution achieve a degree within 6 years. This is significant since college retention has been linked with both self-efficacy and future academic success (Brittain, Sy, & Stokes, 2009).
Upon arriving to college, many students face the challenge of finding a community to belong to. I believe the student affairs professionals on campus are the resource to building communities within the student body. Reflecting back on my first semester of college, I found my community within two organizations; Dance Marathon and UI Alumni Association Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow (S.T.A.T.). Within the organizations I met two advisers who opened my eyes to the world of student affairs.
With increased incentives, part-time faculty members may make a more concerted effort to be more available to students and work harder to engage students in the classroom. By becoming more engaged with students, part-time faculty members have an opportunity to contribute to the development of community college students’ social capital. As demonstrated by Cotten and Wilson, connecting with faculty members inside and out-side the classroom positively affects students in a number of ways (21). The negative correlation between exposure to part-time faculty members and associate’s degree completion may indeed be related to the students’ sense that they receive little support and guidance from part-time faculty members, who may lack the time and perhaps the necessary knowledge needed to assist their students in navigating the academic terrain at their respective institutions. Students arriving at the community colleges often need greater nurturing from the faculty, yet with high levels of exposure to part-time faculty members, they may not find the academic support necessary to work toward the completion of an associate’s degree
Administrators at the University of Waterloo are disappointed with the lack of the school spirit. School spirit can be defined as ones’ emotional support for their educational institute. To be fair our university certainly does have numerous clubs, sports, and other nonacademic programs to join on campus, however, it does not seem to entice students to join in comparison to other schools. The following will demonstrate why the university needs to improve on student engagement as well as the benefits it will provide for both of them in the future.
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: Volume 2, a third
Shoup, Rick. Kinzie, Julian. “Unmasking the Effects of Student Engagement on First-Year College Grades and Persistence.” Journal of Higher Education. Sep/Oct2008, Vol. 79 Issue 5, p540-563. Web. 29 April 2014.
Adult students' participation and persistence in educational activities ranging from adult literacy to doctoral programs is a complex phenomenon involving an array of factors. Adults are often affected by situational factors beyond their control—job, health problems, financial problems, legal problems, personal or family problems (Belzer 1998). Likewise, dispositional factors such as expectations, self-esteem, level of family support, and past educational experience, can be barriers to participation (Hubble 2000). Institutional factors such as red tape, program fees, scheduling, and procedures can either help or hinder participation (Quigley 1998). In fact, adult students who drop out are often actually "stopping out"—that is, interrupting their studies but planning to return (Frank and Gaye 1997)—or attending other institutions (Hoffman and Elias 1999).
Tracy-Mumford, F. et al. Student Retention: Creating Student Success. Washington, DC: National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium, 1994. (ED 375 299)
It seems as though the majority of college students these days aren’t looking to further their education because it’s what they really want, they do it to please their parents, to be accepted by society, or because there’s nothing else for them to do (Bird, 372). These expectations have led to students being unhappy and stressed, and have pushed them into a school or a job that they don’t particularly care for.
"Student Involvement." Fraternity & Sorority National Statistics. University of Missouri - Kansas City, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Student participation in the annual Business Society Haunted House is essential for the future of this great event. Penn State DuBois has nearly one thousand students attending classes, but on average only fifteen students volunteer their time each night over the five-day period. This presents a problem for the Business Society. If student participation continues to decrease, this event will only be a memory.
Milem, J., & Berger, J. (1997). A modified model of college student persistence: Exploring the relationship between Astin’s theory of involvement and Tinto’s theory of student departure. Journal of College Student Development, 38, 387- 400.
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2 ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Tinto’s original theory involved five specific factors that contributed to student retention: (1) a student’s pre-entry attributes (prior schooling and family background); (2) goals and commitment (the student’s individual aspirations in the institution); (3) experience at the institution (academics and faculty and peer interactions); (4) external commitments while at the institution; (5) integration both academically and socially (Metz 4).
Imagine walking across the stage in just a few years from now. Having thousands of eyes pointed at you as you take that emotional walk to finally receive your high school diploma. After a few years when you have graduated high school and started life, you're going to look back and think, what have I accomplished so far? Extracurricular activities can be very beneficial for students now, and those in the future as well. They can allow you to feel like you have accomplished something while in school. Extracurricular activities are important because they can benefit a student through personal, educational, and even social means. It is a great idea to get more students involved in extracurricular activities and parents should begin to give their kids a little push to get them more involved.